This Land of Ours
by Camomelon
Summary: Once again, the Spirit of the Hero is ready to traverse the land of Hyrule to stop the Calamity from wrecking havoc upon its citizens. As Link starts his fateful journey, the previous bearers of the Hero's Spirit look on from the afterlife, contemplating the nature that is the endless cycle. And yet, despite their plans and efforts, the spirits can only watch as events unfold.


**Hey guys! WHO'S HYPED FOR BREATH OF THE WILD!?**

 **In honor of the game's release, I've decided to offer a little tribute to the Zelda games of the past. I wanted to incorporate the various Links seeing our new hero emerge from the Shrine of Resurrection, and know that despite perilous odds, everything will be all right. It's sloppy, but, I wanted to put it out here before the game's release in my area.**

 **And yes - my updates on my other stories have indeed stalled. Admittedly, I should have updated a long time ago, and to those who have been on a cliffhanger from my other stories...well, I can't apologize enough.**

 **Truth is, a good friend of mine (name is prowessMaster44, go check her out, she's amazingly talented) wondered one day if I planned on writing anything full length, like a 20+ chapter novel for this site. I've been pooling over some ideas ever since and making plans for them, trying to see if I can come up with something good. After considering a LoZ and Percy Jackson crossover, a Smash Bros adventure story with Tabuu's return, a Star Wars re-imagining, and a bunch more stuff that didn't work out, I think I finally have something planned you might enjoy. It hasn't finished the planning stage yet, but I'm almost done with that, and it looks pretty good. So, look forward to something like that soon. You might be surprised.**

 **Anyway, have fun switching!**

* * *

Link stepped back from the pedestal, carefully putting the Sheikah Slate in his side pouch. The gears of the door shifted silently, sliding the planks holding the door of the Shrine of Resurrection out of the way. Finally, the final parts of the complex gateway lifted, revealing something Link had not seen in so long: sunlight.

It filtered into the dark chamber in a quiet rush. On reflex, Link covered his face with his hands, unused to the penetrating warmth. Slowly, however, his hand lowered, cautiously feeling the sides of the old shirt he wore. This light…it meant him no harm. In fact, it was kind of warm. Like a familiar friend he had long since lost touch with so long ago. Now they met again, here, in this quiet shrine of which he had once slept.

And then the wind blew in. It started as a gentle caress, feeling over every inch of Link's body and sending waves of pleasure in his being. The wind whistled seductively, begging the awakened hero to step outside, and explore the vast land that lay before him.

Answering the call of the wild, Link ran out of the Shrine of Resurrection. The sunlight and wind embraced him, leading him onward, kissing his skin and blowing through his hair.

In a flash, the bright warm light washed upon his entire being. Soft green grass brushed against his naked feet, bending to the will of the gentle breeze.

Link's short run came to a stop as he faced the edge of a steep cliff. And behold – the land of Hyrule stretched out before him.

* * *

"At last," a Soul of Courage sighed, "he has awakened."

Another Soul of Courage frowned. "The Hero's Spirit?"

"Indeed."

All talking and side conversations stopped. One by one, the Souls of Courage joined to stand by their counterpart, looking down unto Link from their place in the afterlife. They stared in silence, each having their own feeling towards this phenomenon. Some felt relieved, others worried. One felt hopeful, another filled with a sense of foreboding.

The Souls of Courage were all the reincarnations of the Hero's Spirit. When they died, they were sent into the afterlife of the Goddess' realm. For these heroes of the past, the afterlife was paradise. In life, each individual had dutifully served the Royal Family and saved the land of Hyrule from peril. Without these Souls of Courage, there would be no grass under Link's feet, wind in his hair, and sunlight on his skin.

Of course, having all in their life bore the Hero's Spirit, they were gifted with the same name each lifetime: Link. The Hero's Spirit was a gift from Hylia, the fourth Goddess, and who's purpose would be to forever aid the reincarnate Princess of Destiny to rid the land from the evil incarnation of Demise.

The Hero of Time, the first Soul of Courage to notice Link's emergence from the Shrine of Resurrection, nodded to the lad in small clothing. "He is in awe."

The Hero of Twilight nodded sagely. "Indeed. Much like us when we were exploring this vast land."

The Souls of Courage looked on, admiring the land they were never allowed to return to.

At last, the Hero of Hyrule spoke up. "Can he really defeat the Calamity?"

Various souls looked at each other, debating the subject. The Hero of the Minish was the first give Hyrule a solid answer.

"Yes, we believe that he can. Although," Minish grimaced, "It would take a long time. Preparation is essential."

The Hero of Winds nodded. "Yes. Link must not rush from his slow emergence. He cannot rush into the Calamity so quick as to get squashed upon first contact."

"The Calamity is evil!" The Hero of the Four Sword proclaimed. "It must be destroyed as soon as possible! Every second Link wastes, it grows stronger!"

"Then Link best not waste time," Time stood. The Souls of Courage faced him. "For all of our concern, he must pull through. We have all faced impossible odds before, have we not?"

The Souls agreed, until one pushed through the crowd and came face to face with Time.

"It will not be that simple," the Soul warned. "Not this time."

Twilight frowned. "What are you talking about, Sky?"

Sky, the first incarnation of the Spirit of the Hero, looked his wolf-like friend in the eyes. "This new Ganon…it is radiating a power that only I have ever felt. This evil is primordial, stemming from Demise's power directly."

Twilight growled. "And? You defeated him before, have you not? Why should this time be any different?"

"Because this time the Calamity succeeded," Sky pointed out darkly. "Look at the wasteland of towns and cities before you now. Link had his chance to stop him: he failed. Now he is resurrected, but how will he use his second shot, eh?"

"Wisely, I hope," muttered the Hero of New Hyrule.

"Speaking of Wisdom," the Hero of Legend interrupted. "What of the Princess? Have we determined her whereabouts?"

Hyrule shrugged. "I have yet to locate her, despite my efforts."

Legend frowned. "But she is confirmed not dead at the Calamity's…being?"

Sky pointed to Legend. "That's just it. Link is not fighting a physical embodiment like we all have. This…being, as you described, it the pure reincarnation of Demise's hatred."

The Souls of Courage gasped silently. They frowned at each other, only just now knowing how dark the situation had become.

"How is it possible?" Wind asked. "Every time Ganon reincarnates, he possesses a physical embodiment."

"A weak spot," confirmed Minish.

"Yes," New Hyrule nodded. "Every incarnation has had some form of physical weakness. Link can exploit that like we have always done."

Sky shook his head. "What's the Imprisoned without his Sealing Spike? What is Ganondorf without his chest ripped open by execution? What is Vaati without his eyeball open?"

The Souls of Courage took a moment to process this. "Invincible…" Hyrule muttered.

Sky's face darkened. "Exactly. This being is arguably the most powerful being the Hero's Spirit has ever combated. I'm not saying that it cannot be defeated, but we must use every advantage we can possibly get. We must never underestimate its power."

Four Sword nodded. "Right. For starters, we need to find his tunic."

"Our hat!" Legend cried. "We need our floppy hat!"

"And the tunic," Time added, gazing at the remains of the Temple of Time. "Maybe a couple magical tunics, just in case."

"Masks?" Wind asked.

Time thought about it. "Maybe ONE mask…" he shook his head. "No. Too dangerous outside of Termina. There are other powers."

"The Master Sword." Twilight confirmed.

"Fi…" Sky said longingly.

The Souls of Courage nodded. The Master Sword was essential. It must be acquired.

"Do we know it's whereabouts?" New Hyrule asked.

"In Faron," Twilight supplied. "But that's all we know."

"That's pretty vague. Searching the whole province would take too long."

The Hero of Trains nodded. "Then search he shall. There really is no other option. Unless he finds Wisdom, who may or may not know of its whereabouts."

Hyrule snorted. "Even if he did find the Blade of Evil's Bane, there's no guarantee that he will be any good with it. Somebody has to teach him."

"I say let the wild do that," Wind piped up. "Wild monsters at every corner. Isn't that how we learned our skills with our weaponry?"

Sky nodded, "True. But I would still rather give Link some assistance. We've all had a travel partner, and there's no possible way he can do this alone."

Time frowned. "What are you suggesting?"

Sky faced his descendant. "I'm suggesting one of us intervenes. Not all the time, but on occasional circumstances. Let's face it, I'd much rather have a Four-Sword hero to do this. But the Four Sword does not exist in this timeline."

The Souls of the Four Sword nodded gravely. "It definitely would serve its function here."

Time faced Sky. "Is this the only way? Divine intervention…it's forbidden to make direct contact with the Spirit."

Sky pointed at Time accusingly. "You're one to talk, oh great Hero's Shade."

Time cringed, but said nothing.

"I'll go," Twilight volunteered. The Souls stared at him, so he continued. "I can use my wolf form to traverse his land without communicating with him. Lead him in the right direction from time to time should he stray from his path."

The Souls of Courage debated on the subject. Many cast worried glances at Twilight. Others frowned and shook their heads, disproving.

"Look," Twilight compromised, "I'll only proceed in my wolf form _IF_ this Link is able to recall one of my experiences. Like…the Cave of Shadows."

The Souls considered this. At length, Time stood. "Very well. Twilight, you may proceed to aid Link in your beast form. But only if Link can recall your Cave of Shadows experience."

Twilight bowed. "You have my word…oh great Golden Wolf."

Some Souls snickered, but Time ignored them. "Anyway, what else can be done about this fight with the Calamity?"

There was little discussion. There seems not much can be done at this point in Link's journey. The Souls decided to end their planning and just focus on the beautiful land before them.

"We can't lose this," Wind sighed.

Legend nodded. "Hylia put us to this task. We cannot fail her."

"We can't fail the people," Four reminded.

"Nor the races," New Hyrule added.

"And Zelda," Sky reminded them all. "We cannot let her come to harm."

Time silenced them with a raised hand. He gestured to the land of Hyrule. "Why do we fight, Souls? We were all given Courage to fight the incarnations of Demise, but why? Why us?"

The Souls stared at him, expectantly.

"We don't fight because we want to," Time preached. "We don't fight because we have to, either. It's a need, Souls. We NEED to fight, because more importantly we NEED to win. My adventures have cost us a split timeline, sure. I can tell you right now, as the only Link who has failed this land…"

Time shuddered. "It doesn't matter. The point is, Link, the Hero of the Wild, will not fail. He MUST succeed. It is a message in his blood, his flesh, his spirit. Whatever the Calamity throws his way, he must be ready. Hyrule, our land, depends on it."

The Souls analyzed his speech for a time, then shifted their gazes back to Link, who was currently talking to an old man by a campfire.

"Over 10 Links have served this land," Sky reminded everybody. "With that much experience in the Hero's Spirit, he's not about to fail now."

The Souls of Courage all resigned themselves into their usual pattern. They watched, for better or worse, as the story of the Hero of the Wild unfolded before them.


End file.
